Running holidays are drawing growing interest in Denmark, as more Danish travellers choose trips that combine time off with training, races and outdoor activity. The trend, often described as “runcation”, reflects a broader shift toward active holidays, with travel companies reporting stronger demand for routes near hotels, marathon packages and fitness-focused getaways.
Why running holidays are gaining ground among Danes
The idea behind a running holiday is simple: travel with a clear focus on running, whether that means joining a marathon abroad, training in a warmer climate or choosing a resort with scenic routes nearby. Danish travel companies say this kind of trip has become far more common than it was a few years ago.
TV 2 reports that TUI has seen more travellers pack running shoes alongside their usual holiday essentials. According to the broadcaster, the company also points to rising demand for accommodation close to attractive running routes, especially in southern Europe, where many Danish tourists travel for sun holidays.
The shift fits into a wider change in travel habits. Active holidays are no longer a niche product aimed only at highly trained athletes. They increasingly appeal to travellers who want to stay in shape, structure part of their holiday around exercise and combine leisure with a sense of routine.
Active holidays are moving closer to the mainstream
The broader market data points in the same direction. According to figures cited by TV 2 from the travel company Spies, 26% of Danes said they were considering an active holiday in 2022. By 2025, that share had risen to 40%, suggesting that activity-based travel has moved much closer to the mainstream.
The same survey indicates that running is now the third most popular physical activity for Danes on holiday, behind only hiking and yoga. That helps explain why travel operators are adapting their offers, from race packages to hotels located near coastal paths, promenades and trail networks.
This is also part of a broader travel and wellness shift seen beyond Denmark, where holidays are increasingly shaped by personal habits rather than by a strict divide between rest and exercise. For many travellers, sport is no longer something to pause during a trip, but something that helps define the trip itself.
Gen Z and running clubs are helping fuel the runcation trend
The rise of running holidays is closely linked to the wider popularity of running itself, especially among younger adults. Strava said in its 2025 Year in Sport report that new clubs on the platform nearly quadrupled during the year, reaching 1 million clubs in total, while running clubs grew 3.5 times, pointing to the growing social dimension of the sport.
That matters for travel too. Running is increasingly presented not just as exercise, but as a way to explore places, meet people and build routines around community and wellbeing. This social side appears to resonate strongly with Generation Z, which is often described by travel companies and fitness platforms as one of the groups most engaged with the running boom. Strava also said Gen Z travellers are 23% more likely than Gen X to see staying active on holiday as non-negotiable, a detail that helps explain why fitness-led travel is becoming more visible in the wider tourism market.
According to TUI figures cited by TV 2, younger travellers are particularly visible on marathon-related trips, and the gender balance among participants is now close to even. That suggests the market is widening beyond the traditional profile of endurance tourism.
Southern Europe is becoming a natural destination for Danish runners
For Danish travellers, southern Europe appears to be the main destination for this trend. The appeal is easy to understand: better weather, longer outdoor sessions, established tourism infrastructure and access to routes that combine exercise with scenery.
That can mean anything from short morning runs near beach resorts to participation in major city marathons that turn a sporting event into the centrepiece of a holiday. In practice, the trend sits somewhere between leisure travel, amateur sport and the wider wellness economy.
It also says something about how holidays are being redefined. For a growing number of travellers, the ideal break is no longer based only on slowing down. It can also involve movement, discipline and the feeling of returning home having rested without losing momentum.
What the Danish travel trend says about tourism in 2026
The Danish interest in running holidays shows how tourism habits are evolving in 2026. Travel companies are responding to a market in which fitness, wellbeing and experience are increasingly intertwined, and where even a traditional sun holiday may now include a training plan, a race bib or a mapped route on a smartwatch.
For Denmark, the trend is another sign that active tourism is expanding from a specialist segment into a more normal part of the holiday market. If demand continues to grow, travel operators are likely to place even greater emphasis on sports-friendly destinations, local routes and packages designed around runners rather than only around traditional leisure activities.
In that sense, the rise of the runcation is not just about running. It reflects a broader change in how many Europeans now want to travel: with more purpose, more movement and a closer link between everyday habits and time away.
